Attachment-holder or means for securing sewing-machine attachments



(No Ml odeL) A. JOHNSTON. ATTACHMENT EOLDER 0 R MEANS FOR SECURINGSEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENTS.

No. 321,817. Patented July '7, 1885-;

PATENT F FIQEQ ALLEN JOHNSTON, OE OTTU MWA, IOTVA.

ATTACHMENT-HOLDER R MEANS FOR SECURING SEWING-MACHINE ATTACHMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 321,817, dated July 7,1885.

Application filed October 8, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN JOHNSTON, of Ottumwa, in the county ofXVapello and State of Iowa, have invented a new and-useful Improvementin Attachment-Holders or Means for Securing Sewing-Machine Attachments,which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention has reference more particu- Io larly to the means forsupporting attachments on the sewing-machine.

The invention comprises certain particular constructions andcombinations of parts,hereinafter specified.

I 5 The drawings illustrate the best mode contemplated of applying theprinciple of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tuckmarker constructed in accordancewith the O invention; Fig. 2, a cross-section of the same; Fig. 3,a sideview of arufiler, also constructed in accordance with the invention;Fig. 4, a perspective of a binder and corder; Fig. 5, a perspective of aFrench fold; Fig. 6, a front 5 view of the binder and corder and theFrench fold in position for conjoint operation; Fig. 7, a verticalsection through the two attachments and the holder; Figs. 8,9,10, and11, perspec tives showing a set of four hemmers, and Fig.

12 a perspective of the holder.

The binder, French fold, and hemmers may be called, generally, foldingattachments, comprising as they do a guide or scroll for folding overthe fabric.

In all the figures where they occur, A is the holder; 13, theattaching-plate, and O a set screw for securing the attachment to theholder.

The attaching plate B fits in a groove or 4 recess in the top of thehorizontal or foot part of the holder behind the needle-hole, and isheld firmly in said groove or recess by the setscrew 0, which is tappedthrough the holder for the rear, and at its front end bears against therear edge of the attaching-plate. The front wall of the groove or recessis undercut to render the hold upon the attaching-plate more secure. Inthe case of the tuck-marker, Figs. 1 and 2, the length of theattaching-plate B is such as to permit a large adjustment of theattachment across the presser-foot or hold devices a c nearer to orfarther from the line of stitching, as may be desired. These creasing ormarking devices consist of an upright 5 edge, a, at the end of thestationary plate I), and a grooved wheel, 0, carried by a vibrating arm,d, directly over the edge a. The stationary plate I) is riveted at theend opposite the creasingedge to the frame of the attachment,which isL-shaped,and is composed of the attaching-plate B and a projection, e.The arm (Z projects forward from a vibratory bar or plate, f, which ishinged at g to upright ears 72- of the attachment-frame. The bar f alsohas upright ears or lugs 2', through which and the ears h the pivot-pins9 pass. These ears are or may be formed integral with the parts towhich-they are attached by bending up projections of the proper shapeleft in stamping, or they maybe otherwise formed and fastened.

A slide, 70, is attached to the barf by lips Z, bent under the bar, (orit may be otherwise secured thereto,) and serves to communicate motionto the grooved creasing-wheel c. To this end the said slide is providedwith an operating-arm, m, which is arranged in the path of theneedle-screw or other projection on the lower part of the needle-bar, soas to be struck and forced downward at each descent of the needle-bar.At each ascent of the needlebar the arm an is raised by a Hatleafspring, n, fixed at the upper end to the said arm in, and bear ingat the lower upon the attaching-plate. The device It, being a slide,permits the body of the attachment to be adjusted right and left withoutaltering its own position. The fork p at the back of the slide embracesthe presser-foot or holder A. A stationary lip, q, limits the co upwardmovement of the barf and the parts carried thereby. A spring-plate, r,is fixed at the end farthest from the creasing device to theattachment-frame, and an edge-guide, s, is adjustably-secured to saidframe by means of 5 a slotted plate and a set-nut, t, which engages afixed screw-pin passing through a slot in the guide-plate, and whichbears down upon the said plate at the sides of the slot.

In operation the fabric to be marked is passed over the plate I) andcreasing-edge a, and under the spring-plate 0, which, bearing shape onthe bottom.

lightly upon the fabric, smooths out pncker and wrinkles, and also underthe grooved creasing-wheel c and presser-foot or holder A. The creasingis effected by the downward pressure of the grooved wheel 0 upon thefabric while the latter is bent over or rests upon the ereasingedge a.

In the case of the ruffler, Fig. 3, since no lateral adjustment isordinarily desirable, the attaching-plate B is equal in length to thewidth of the holder or presser-foot A. The frame-plate a, the slide I),the rutiler-blade 0, carried by an arm of the slide 1)", the bent leverd, for imparting reciprocation to the slide from the needle screw orprojection on the needlebar, the adjusting means for regulating thethrow of the slide, and the stationary blade or separator 0, carried byan arm of the frameplatc, being of ordinary construction, need noparticular description. As shown, they are such as commonly employed inthe Johnston ruiiler, mannfiietured by the Johnston Bnfller Company, atOttumwa, Iowa. The presserfoot or holder A, being designed toaccommodate a large range of work, is not well adapted to rulliing,being too short and not of proper To remedy this difficulty an auxiliaryfoot, f, is provided. This forms a permanent part of the attachment,being fastened by means of a bracket, 9', to the frameplate a. Itconsists of an elastic strip bent upon itself, as shown in Fig. 3, theend which is brought back being soldered or otherwise fastened to thebody of the strip. The under side of this auxiliary presser-foot isgrooved and recessed above the end of the rufflcr-blade, as customarywith the foot of a Johnston ruffler, so as to accommodate the increasedthickness of the fabric as it is folded over the end of therufller-blade. The auxil' iary foot extends under the presser-foot orholder A, and is pierced with a needle-hole, which, when the attachmentis in place, is in line with the needle in the part A.

The binder and corder, Fig. 4, is formed in one piece of sheet metal. Anarm, a extending forward from the attaching-plate B, and curving aroundin front of the latter, has the end bent in and soldered at e", to forma folding-guide, I)". A tongue, 0, is bentacross the mouth of the guide.It is somewhat smaller than said mouth, so that a slot is left aroundthree sides thereof for the passage of the strip to be folded. An eye inthe end of the tongue serves as a cord-guide where it is desired tointroduce a cord into the fold of the strip. A tongue, (1", extendingrearward in the direc tion of the attaching-plate, serves as a guide tothe folded edge of the strip and to the cord. At the rear of theattaching-plate is a shallow groove, f, formed by bending the edge ofsaid plate. This groove receives the rear edge of anotherattaching-plate when another attachment is to be used with the binderand eorder.

The French fold, Fig. 5, consists of a folding-guide, a, attached bysoldering or otherwise to an arm, I), of the attaehing-plate B,

directly in front of the latter. The guide is formed by bending a plateinto semicircular or,more properly, semiconical form, and turning theedges 0 in for a short distance. The guide is largest at its front,where the fabric enters, and is gradually contracted toward the rear. Atthe mouth of the guide are the lips d, in one piece with theinwardly-bent edges 0, which-lips d extend outwardly toward theinclosing-shell. At the rear of the guide is a downwardly-inclined lip,c. \Vhen the French fold is secured in the holder or presser-foot A, thebottom of it is about on alevel with the under side of the prcsscr-foot,and the lip c bridges the space between the top of the guide and thefront of the presser-foot. The small end of the guide terminatesslightly in front of the presser-foot. In order to use the French foldwith the binder and corder, (see Figs. 6 and 7,) the attaching-plate ofthe former is placed under that of the latter, with its rear edge in thegroove f", and the foldingguide l) is placed in the mouth of the guidesat, just in front of the lips d, the tongue d closing one side of thespace between the inwardlybent edges 0. In operation, a strip isintroduced into the folding-guide b around the free end of the tongue 0,and a second strip is placed in the folding-guide at, around the lips dand the inwardly-bent edges 0, and also around the folding-guide b Thesecond strip ineloses the edges of the first strip, leaving the foldededge exposed. The two strips are led under the presscr-foot or holder A,and the seam is run through the four overlapping edges. If the foldedstrips are to be attached to a piece of goods, this is introduced belowthe guides. If a cord is to be inserted, it is passed through the eye inthe tongue 0".

The hcmmers shown in Figs. 8 to 11 are of four sizes, and in all exceptthe smallest, Fig. 11, the attaching-plate B is made in one piece withthe folding-guide or scroll, and in all of them the attaching-plate ison a level with the top of the folding-guide or scroll. The scroll inFig. 8 is formed by bending inward the two wings a I) so that theyoverlap, as shown, having first bent back the end 0 of the inner wing,at". A portion of the latter is cut away at cl to form a slot, whichreceives the edge of the fabric to be hemmed. The scrolls in Figs. 9 and10 are substantially alike, except in point of size. The end a of thewing I) is bent so as to overlap the body, and the wings If and c arethen bent inward from opposite sides, so that the lattcr,c", overlapsthe former. A lip, d, onthe wing U covers the space between the end aand the body of the wing If, and is so shaped as to leave a slot, e, forreceiving the edge of the fabric to be hemmed. In Fig. 11 the wings a bare bent inward from opposite sides, and the lip c is turned. up, beingso shaped as to leave a slot, 0, for the edge of the fabric to behemmed. The scroll is soldered to an arm of the attaching-plate B.

It is obvious that the other hemmers, in

stead of being made in oneipiece, could have the folding-guide separatefrom but soldered to the attaching-plate, like that last described.

Modifications may be made in the details without departing from thespirit of the invention, and portions of the invention may be usedseparately.

When a series of attachments is hereinafter referred to, a series of twoor more such attachments is meant.

Having now fully described the invention, and the manner in which thesame is or may be carried into effect, what I claim is- 1. Theattachment-holder in the form of a presser-foot having a transversegroove therein behind the needle-hole,in combination with the series ofattachments having each a flat attaching-plate of a shape and size tofit in said groove, and the holding-screw tapped through that part ofthe holder which lies behind the groove, and' arranged to bear at thepoint against the rear edge of the attachingplate, substantially asdescribed.

holding-screw being arranged to bear against the edge of saidattaching'plates, substantially as described.

I11 testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

ALLEN JOHNSTON,

\Vitnesses:

J T. HAoKWOR'rH, A. G. HARROW.

